Subject-Verb Agreement
The subject and verb must agree in number: both must be singular, or both must be
plural. Problems occur in the present tense because one must add an -s or -es at the end of
the verb when the subject performing the action is a singular third person: he, she, it, or
words for which these pronouns could substitute.
Rules
1. Use singular verb forms after the following: Each, either, everyone, everybody,
neither, nobody and someone
Ex: Everybody tries to make a good first impression.
2 “None” has both singular and plural forms. The singular verb form is used when
“none” means “no one” or “not one”.
Ex: None of us thinks what she said is correct.
The plural is used when “none” implies more than one thing or person.
Ex: None of the local teams are making it to the second round in the tournament.
3. A compound subject formed by two or more nouns and the word “and” usually
requires a plural verb. Ex: The teacher and the student were working on subject-verb agreement.
4. A singular subject remains singular, if connected with the words with, as well as, in
addition to, except, together with, and no less than. Ex: Her attitude as well as her appearance is inappropriate.
5. When two or more singular nouns or pronouns are connected by “or” or “nor”, use a
singular verb.
Ex: The book or the pen is in the drawer.
6. When a compound subject contains both a singular and a plural noun or pronoun
joined by “or” or “nor”, the verb should agree with the part of the subject that is nearer
the verb.
Ex: The boy or his friends run every day.
His friends or the boy runs every day.
7. Nouns such as civics, mathematics, measles, and news require singular verbs.
Ex: The news is on at six.
8. The word dollars is a special case. When talking about an amount of money, it
requires a singular verb, but when referring to the dollars themselves, a plural verb is
required.
Ex: Five dollars is a lot of money.
Ex: Dollars are often used instead of rubles in Russia.
9. Collective nouns are words that imply more than one person but are considered
singular and take a singular verb, such as group, team, committee, class, and family.
Ex: The team runs during practice.
Ex: The committee decides how to proceed.
10. Some may be confused by a phrase that comes between the
subject and the verb. The verb agrees with the subject, not with a
noun or pronoun in the phrase.
Ex: One of the boxes is open
Ex: The people who listen to that music are few.
Ex: The book, including all the chapters in the first section, is boring.
OR, IN OTHER WORDS…
1. The indefinite pronouns anyone, everyone, someone, no one,
nobody are always singular and, therefore, require singular verbs.
* Everyone has done his or her homework.
* Somebody has left her purse.
Some indefinite pronouns — such as all, some — are singular or plural
depending on what they're referring to. (Is the thing referred to
countable or not?) Be careful choosing a verb to accompany such
pronouns.
* Some of the beads are missing.
* Some of the water is gone.
On the other hand, there is one indefinite pronoun, none, that can be
either singular or plural; it often doesn't matter whether you use a
singular or a plural verb — unless something else in the sentence
determines its number. (Writers generally think of none as meaning
not any and will choose a plural verb, as in "None of the engines are
working," but when something else makes us regard none as meaning
not one, we want a singular verb, as in "None of the food is fresh.")
* None of you claims responsibility for this incident?
* None of you claim responsibility for this incident?
* None of the students have done their homework. (In this last
example, the word their precludes the use of the singular verb.
2. Some indefinite pronouns are particularly troublesome Everyone
and everybody (listed above, also) certainly feel like more than one
person and, therefore, students are sometimes tempted to use a plural
verb with them. They are always singular, though. Each is often
followed by a prepositional phrase ending in a plural word (Each of the
cars), thus confusing the verb choice. Each, too, is always singular and
requires a singular verb.
Everyone has finished his or her homework.
You would always say, "Everybody is here." This means that the word
is singular and nothing will change that.
Each of the students is responsible for doing his or her work in the
library.
Don't let the word "students" confuse you; the subject is each and
each is always singular — Each is responsible.
3. Phrases such as together with, as well as, and along with are not
the same as and. The phrase introduced by as well as or along with
will modify the earlier word (mayor in this case), but it does not
compound the subjects (as the word and would do).
* The mayor as well as his brothers is going to prison.
* The mayor and his brothers are going to jail.
4. The pronouns neither and either are singular and require singular
verbs even though they seem to be referring, in a sense, to two
things.
* Neither of the two traffic lights is working.
* Which shirt do you want for Christmas?
Either is fine with me.
5. The conjunction or does not conjoin (as and does): when nor or or
is used the subject closer to the verb determines the number of the
verb. Whether the subject comes before or after the verb doesn't
matter; the proximity determines the number.
* Either my father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
* Neither my brothers nor my father is going to sell the house.
* Are either my brothers or my father responsible?
* Is either my father or my brothers responsible?
6. The words there and here are never subjects.
* There are two reasons [plural subject] for this.
* There is no reason for this.
* Here are two apples.
7. Sometimes nouns take weird forms and can fool us into thinking
they're plural when they're really singular and vice-versa. Consult the
section on the Plural Forms of Nounsand the section on Collective
Nouns for additional help. Words such as glasses, pants, pliers, and
scissors are regarded as plural (and require plural verbs) unless
they're preceded the phrase pair of (in which case the word pair
becomes the subject).
* My glasses were on the bed.
* My pants were torn.
* A pair of plaid trousers is in the closet.
8. Some words end in -s and appear to be plural but are really singular
and require singular verbs.
* The news from the front is bad.
* Measles is a dangerous disease for pregnant women.
9. If your sentence compounds a positive and a negative subject and
one is plural, the other singular, the verb should agree with the
positive subject.
* The department members but not the chair have decided not to
teach on Valentine's Day.
* It is not the faculty members but the president who decides this
issue.
* It was the speaker, not his ideas, that has provoked the students
to riot.
10. Fractional expressions such as half of, a part of, a percentage of, a
majority of are sometimes singular and sometimes plural, depending
on the meaning. (The same is true, of course, when all, any, more,
most and some act as subjects.) Sums and products of mathematical
processes are expressed as singular and require singular verbs. The
expression "more than one" (oddly enough) takes a singular verb:
"More than one student has tried this."
* Some of the voters are still angry.
* A large percentage of the older population is voting against her.
* Two-fifths of the troops were lost in the battle.
* Two-fifths of the vineyard was destroyed by fire.
* Forty percent of the students are in favor of changing the policy.
* Forty percent of the student body is in favor of changing the
policy.
* Two and two is four.
* Four times four divided by two is eight.